


Another Shot, Another Worry

by HalRose



Series: The Shakarian Project [10]
Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Angst and Feels, Coffee, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Implied Sexual Content, Love, Mass Effect 3: Citadel, Memories, Shakarian - Freeform, mentions of thane, mentions of zaeed, shepard needs sleep
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:26:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26191897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HalRose/pseuds/HalRose
Summary: “I might have had a few shots.” - Set during the Citadel DLC of Mass Effect 3,  instead of drinking alcohol like everybody else, Athena Shepard finds her comfort in coffee and a certain Turian...
Relationships: Female Shepard/Garrus Vakarian
Series: The Shakarian Project [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1876087
Comments: 5
Kudos: 13





	Another Shot, Another Worry

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kallonimo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kallonimo/gifts).



> I hope you like this? please let me know if you spot any mistakes

**Athena**

Everyone else is partying. We just held a memorial service for Thane and everything hurts.  
I don’t know how the others can do it. Just pretend like we haven’t held a service for someone we worked with; for someone we cared about and now we have to continue on and party like there is no tomorrow.  
But that’s the problem. There might not be a tomorrow. 

The war may end tomorrow, but how many of us will survive? Others are getting blackout drunk to forget this worry, but I want to remember my last moments alive.   
I don’t drink alcohol, I never have. There’s nothing fun about hangovers and shit like that.

Coffee or Tea is my type of drink and the coffee machine usually ends up begging for me to put it out of its misery when I’m done with it.  
Garrus and Zaeed have turned one of the coffee machines into a bomb in case somebody tries to break in and let’s not mention what they’ve done to the rest of the place.

I don’t want to sleep. I don’t want to give into the nightmares again. I don’t want to hurt again.  
Everything that has lead up to this moment, has happened because the galaxy depends upon me.  
I’m the sole person that gets acknowledged for what we’re going to do, when we go to finish this war tomorrow, but I have an entire family behind me, supporting me.

The Normandy Crew is my family.

I don’t want to lose anymore. I don’t want to lose anybody close to me. Especially Garrus.  
I want to have a good time, but my fears have a hold of me.

Throughout the night, I do various things like a pull up competition with James Vega, talk with EDI and Joker, dance with some of the others. James dances like he’s been shot with a taser and I try not to laugh.  
We all pose for a photograph, and Garrus and I get the closest we’ve been, in what feels like forever.

After the photograph, I get a shot of coffee. My mind wanders to the possibilities of who could be the next to fall, and I nervously drink another shot.  
I think about how I died and Cerberus brought me back.. and I take another shot. Another shot, another worry.

The party is going on around me; everybody is happy, everyone is enjoying themselves and I just know it’s going to be a long night.  
As the night goes on, the coffee shots pile up and I feel it coursing through me. I know I’ve drank too much, and I’ll be awake for hours but I don’t care.

Garrus has been watching me the entire night; both of us are alike – both of us share the same worries. Garrus doesn’t sleep, but the others do.  
He knows about the dreams I have and I know about his.  
He walks over, staring at the amount of small shots of coffee I’ve had,a nd how many big cups of coffee I’ve actually had.

“I might have had a few shots.” I say, hands shaking.

“Shepard… it’s a party. Let’s have some fun.” Garrus almost purrs.

Everyone else is having fun, so why can’t we?

“Garrus. When does it stop? When does all the pain and the nightmares stop?” I ask him.

“It doesn’t. It’s hard, but it’s a part of the job. It’s not what you signed up for, but you have to learn to cope with it. You should know that already.” He sighs and takes my hand. “You’re not alone, Shepard. You can talk to me.”

“How much of my apartment have you wired up into a bomb?” I ask with a small smile.

Garrus laughs.

“Do your boyfriend a favour and stop drinking all the coffee.” He replies

“Garrus..” my voice wobbles. “I want to remember my last moments, if these are my last moments. I don’t want to get blackout drunk and forget what little good moments there have been along this hell ride that we’ve endured. I want to remember US, I want to -”

“I understand, Shepard. I do, but forget about your worries, just for one night. Live a little…”

“How?” I ask.

He pulls me close. It’s comforting, really. Adrenaline courses through me and we stumble into my bedroom.

It’s just us. It all goes by so fast. I want to remember this. I want to remember our love.  
I remember the bar. Our dance at the bar and our last date at the Citadel, I remember so many things that I’m desperately trying to hold onto. These are good memories...and I want to make more.

“Garrus, no matter what happens, I love you, you know that right?”

“I know, Shepard. I know. And I…”

I cup his face.

“It’s okay. I know what you want to say.”

We spend the end of the night, and the next morning together. I feel much better, though it takes me a while to get to sleep.  
We cuddle with each other, and are interrupted by a girly scream. We rush to get our clothes on and we find that the coffee machine that Zaeed and Garrus turned into a bomb, is now no more as James has apparently used it.

“James, are you hurt?” I ask.

“No.” He replies.

“But he did scream like a girl.” Tali says, as she starts laughing.

I look to Garrus, who crosses his arms.

“In my defence, I did tell him which one was the bomb. “

“Why the hell would you even make a bomb!?” James asks, offended.

“To protect my girlfriend.” Garrus replies.

I kiss Garrus by the cheek and James offers to make us breakfast, but I’m not hungry.  
I head to the window, looking out across the Citadel.

Garrus takes my hands once again.

“We’re gonna win, we’re gonna kick the Reaper’s asses and we’re going to retire together. Commander Shepard doesn’t go down that easily.” Garrus sys reassuringly, like he knows this is the truth and this will happen.

“You’ve always believed in me, Garrus. Thank you.” I whisper.

“I’ve always believed in you. I’m yours, forever and always Commander.”

I look up at him and he’s smiling, teasing me. I kiss him, pulling him close and don’t care who is watching.  
When we finally pull away, James offers me a coffee, so I have one, but then decide it’s time to get down to business.  
I’m scared, but I have my team by my side. My family. I’m not letting the Reapers get away with anymore heartbreak and devastation. 

In just a few hours, we’ll all be free.

The Reaper war ends with me.


End file.
